Category Archives: Make it Yourself

Grilled Pork Chops

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We’ve never grilled pork before, so hopefully this works out well! Choosing to marinade is always a good thing to ensure flavorful, juicy meat; so when I found this recipe and saw the ratings, I decided it was a safe one to try. The barbecue sauce was so simple to throw together and only needed to be stirred every once in a while. Then the marinating – what could be easier? I love dinners like this one where the longest part is the stay in the fridge.

Verdict: I am so happy that these simple ingredients and steps led to such a tasty dinner; and I will definitely make this again. The barbecue sauce has great flavor, and isn’t too sweet or too spicy for us. I would use the sauce recipe again for another application unless I’m feeling lazy 😉 Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Grilled Pork Chops Ingredients – adapted from Food Network

  • 4 pork chops (about 1/2-inch thick)
  • Neely’s Seasoning, recipe follows
  • Neely’s BBQ Sauce, recipe follows

Directions –

Apply Neely’s Seasoning to each pork chop. Place pork chops in a large freezer safe plastic bag. Pour 2 cups of Neely’s BBQ sauce into bag. Marinate in refrigerator for 8 hours.

Place pork chops on grill and cook until internal temperature is 160 degrees F. Reapply BBQ sauce to pork chops prior to serving.

Neely’s Seasoning Ingredients –

  • 1 cup paprika
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Neely’s BBQ Sauce Ingredients –

  •  2 cups ketchup
  • 1 cup water
  • 6 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 5 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
Directions –

Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a large saucepan or Dutch oven.

Over high heat, bring ingredients to a boil, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

Once sauce comes to a boil, reduce temperature to low and simmer, uncovered, for at least 2 hours.


Pico de Gallo

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I haven’t made this in a long time – which is probably due to the fact that there is no short cut to making this. There is lots of chopping, dicing, and mincing involved; thankfully it’s totally worth the effort. This recipe comes from one of my favorite bloggers – The Pioneer Woman 🙂 She knows her stuff and she is a home cook just like me – no formal training is required when you have a love for food and a desire to try out new techniques. I have come a long way in 8 1/2 years of marriage. In the beginning, I used a lot of boxed meals, frozen and prepackaged stuff – I had to start somewhere, right? Thankfully, my husband wasn’t raised around a lot of fabulous cooks, so he didn’t know what he was missing out on! 😉 I could never go back to that kind of cooking and those fuss free, easy stuff. I get such a feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment out of giving my family the very best.

Anyway, this turned out perfectly and wasn’t too spicy when we added it to these tacos. By itself though, it has quite a kick! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Pico de Gallo – adapted from The Pioneer Woman

  • 5 whole Plum (roma) Tomatoes
  • ½ whole Large (or 1 Small) Onion
  • 3 whole Jalapeno Peppers
  • Cilantro
  • Lime Juice
  • Salt To Taste

Directions –

Chop jalapenos, tomatoes and onions into a very small dice. (Leave seeds in your jalapenos for a hotter pico). Adjust amount of jalapenos to your preferred temperature. Next, chop up a nice-sized bunch of cilantro. Just remove and discard the long leafless stems before chopping. No need to remove the leaves from the stems completely. Place all of these ingredients together in a bowl and give it a good stir.

Squeeze the juice of half of one lime into the bowl. Add salt to taste and stir again.

Vanilla Extract

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I was inspired to make another type of vanilla extract today while watching a show called “Unique Sweets”. A bakery on the show boasted several different house vanilla extracts that were made with different types of alcohol. I had never heard of  one made with tequila, rum or brandy. I already made a vanilla extract a few months ago with vodka, but I still had about five Madagascar vanilla beans I needed to use. Today I decided to use one of my 8 ounce Ball jars and rum for vanilla extract number two. I filled the jar with rum and then added three of the beans that I split length-wise and in half so they would fit nicely in the jar. Next, just screw the cap onto the jar, shake, label and let sit in your pantry for 6 to 8 weeks for curing. Every few days give the jar a shake to help the process along. What is so great about making your own extract is that there is no corn syrup or other fillers in it, you can replenish your stash with more alcohol and vanilla beans and it wont spoil. And the best part is that it is so much cheaper than buying the really expensive top quality extracts online or in specialty stores. Thanks for reading!

* My new vanilla extract made with rum is the one on the left. The darker one is made with vodka and is about 4 months old *

Homemade Hot Dog Buns

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I went and did it – I finally made hot dog buns. Yes, it is easier to just spend the couple of dollars to buy hot dog buns, but why do that when I know how much better homemade tastes? Not to mention, the fact that I know what went into these…have you read ingredient lists on store bought breads? I know these aren’t as smooth and uniform-looking as the packaged kind, but I do know that these taste and smell a whole lot better. And yes, I am a food snob – and I’m totally fine with that! 😉

These make a nice, hearty bun for your hot dog and toppings. M had his with lots of chili and cheese and the bun held up really nice and didn’t get soggy at all. The kids enjoyed these too, and my pickiest eater ate hers faster than her big brother. This recipe made 18 hot dog buns, so I was able to freeze half of these. Next time I use this recipe, I might try to use half the dough for hamburger buns so I can have plenty on homemade buns on hand. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Hot Dog Buns – adapted from King Arthur Flour

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 packets or 2 scant tablespoons active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
  • 2 cups warm milk (105°F to 115°F)
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 6 to 7 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
Directions –

Mixing: In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar and then the yeast in the warm water. Add the milk, oil, salt and 3 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.Gradually add flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.

Kneading: Knead until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Because this dough is so slack, you may find that a bowl scraper or bench knife can be helpful in scooping up the dough and folding it over on itself.

Rising: Put the dough into an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a tightly-woven dampened towel and let rise until doubled, about one hour.

Shaping: Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Divide into 18 equal pieces. This is done most easily by dividing the dough first into thirds, then those thirds into halves, then the halves into thirds.

Shape each piece into a ball. For hot-dog buns, roll the balls into cylinders, 4 1/2-inches in length. Flatten the cylinders slightly; dough rises more in the center so this will give a gently rounded top versus a high top.

For soft-sided buns, place them on a well-seasoned baking sheet a half inch apart so they’ll grow together when they rise. For crisper buns, place them three inches apart.

Second Rising: Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

Baking: Fifteen minutes before you want to bake your buns, preheat your oven to 400°F. Just before baking, lightly brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle with whatever seeds strike your fancy.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 190°F. (A dough thermometer takes the guesswork out of this.)

When the buns are done, remove them from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack. This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy.

My Go-To Pizza Sauce

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Quick Post: This is my favorite, and more importantly – my kids’ favorite pizza sauce. I always double this so I can freeze the leftovers for future pizza nights. We like saucy pizzas, but once I portioned it out, I can probably get 8 pizzas worth of sauce, if that makes sense. It is zesty, rich and thick thanks to all that tomato paste. This is so convenient because I always have these ingredients on hand and it is so freezer friendly. I love that I can have this dough and this sauce on hand at all times in case I have no idea what to make for dinner; and who doesn’t like pizza night? I know my kids always appreciate it! Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Zesty Old School Style Pizza Sauce – adapted from The Cooking Photographer
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce (without sugar)
  • 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground sweet paprika
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Fresh cracked pepper to taste
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar

Place all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl and stir together.

Makes 1 1/2 cups of pizza sauce.

Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

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Yes, there are only three ingredients in this tomato sauce. I was skeptical when I first saw this recipe at Smitten Kitchen, but this site had yet to steer me wrong and so I trusted the author’s judgment. The butter creates a velvety, rich sauce and the onion flavors this perfectly.Once the sauce was finished, I buzzed it with my stick blender to create a smoother texture. There is no need for herbs or garlic and try to resist “doctoring” this up.  What is even better about this is that you probably have all the ingredients needed in your pantry. It’s great for busy moms who want to try out new but not intimidating, made-from-scratch recipes. And who doesn’t like this sort of simple comfort food? I used Linguine fini for this and served Italian style chicken sausage and everyone really loved it, even my picky husband who doesn’t like tomato sauce. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter – adapted from Smitten Kitchen via Marcela Hazan’s Essentials of Italian Cooking

  • 28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes from a can (San Marzano, if you can find them)
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
  • Salt to taste

Directions –

Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan (it fit just right in a 3-quart) over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free of the tomatoes. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste.

Serve with spaghetti, with or without grated parmesan cheese.


Vanilla Bean Frozen Yogurt and Vanilla Sugar

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I broke out my old ice cream maker today – dusted it off and placed the canister in the freezer to chill out for 24 hours. I decided that it is the summer of homemade ice creams, frozen yogurt, popsicle and sorbet! Tastespotting.com is always a huge inspiration to me – I love the photography and am immediately drawn in. While looking at fro-yo recipes, I came across two that seemed easy enough. I took parts of the two and combined them in a way that seemed good to me. This is the start of something tasty this summer – I can’t wait to try more, and it was so easy!

Verdict: Rich, sweet and tangy – it’s so good! Hopefully the family likes it, or else I’ll have to eat this all by myself and I’ll never have a good excuse to make it again…Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Vanilla Bean Frozen Yogurt – 

  • 3 cups Greek yogurt ( I used full fat! )
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped of caviar
Directions –
Blend all ingredients well until sugar is dissolved. Place mixture in the fridge to chill for at least one hour. Once this step is complete, pour into your ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s directions.
Vanilla Sugar –
  • 1 vanilla bean pod split and scraped of caviar, or not – it’s up to you
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 canning jar (8 ounce)
Pour sugar into your glass container and stuff your vanilla pod inside. The sugar can them be stored indefinitely, replenished with fresh sugar or additional vanilla beans as necessary to make more.

Blackened Tilapia Flatbread

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The picture sold me on this recipe first and I’m always on the lookout for fish recipe ideas. We recently got back from a three day vacation at Disney World, and while we were there we went to the Rain Forest Cafe. I tried their blackened tilapia with mango salsa and it was pretty tasty. I don’t normally order my fish “blackened” – it just doesn’t sound all that appealing to me ( “black” sounds like “burnt” to me ). So, on the shopping list was blackening seasoning and tilapia – thankfully the tilapia is on sale this week at Publix, but the blackening seasoning was not. I read the ingredients list and the first listed spice was salt….no thanks. I have salt at home, and I also have all the ingredients necessary to make my own salt-free blend! It pays to have a well stocked spice and dried herb cabinet. Bread making comes in handy too and for this meal I’ll make these pitas instead of spending almost four dollars for “fresh” pitas.

Verdict: These were so good – and the fish was cooked perfectly. The spicy tartar sauce was a great compliment to these, but next time I may add a little more cayenne pepper to the blackening seasoning. Overall we were all happy to eat this up, and it will definitely go into the rotation! Thanks for reading, enjoy!


Blackened Seasoning Mix – adapted from Allrecipes.com

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika (*I used half smoked paprika, half sweet)
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Directions –
Combine the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, black pepper, cayenne pepper, basil, and oregano in a bowl until evenly mixed. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Blackened Fish Flatbread – adapted from Honest Cooking

For the Fish:

  • 1 lb tilapia
  • Blackening Seasoning of Choice
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • 1 TBS Butter
  • 1 TBS Canola Oil

For the Simple Spicy Tartar Sauce:

  • 1/3 cup Tartar Sauce
  • 2-3 tsp of Lemon Juice
  • Blackening Seasoning to taste

Other:

  • Pita bread, store-bought or these
  • Chopped Lettuce
  • Lemon wedges
  • Sliced tomato
Directions –
  1. Heat butter and canola oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper one side of fish and then coat with blackening spice to desired preference (we coat ours pretty well as we LOVE the heat).
  2. Place the fish, seasoned side down into the pan and quickly season the other side in the same way. Cook fish for roughly 3-4 minutes per side: 7-8 minutes in total (see above note regarding cooking times). Remove from skillet, tent with foil, and allow to rest for 3-5 minutes.
  3. Heat flatbread in oven at 350° F until just warmed through (takes only a few minutes). Remove from oven and layer on the lettuce, tomato, red onion, and spicy tartar sauce to preference. Place fish filet on top, fold up the sides, and wrap one end in parchment paper or foil. Serve with a lemon wedge if desired.
  4. Note: The hubs says that the rule of thumb for cooking fish is roughly 1 minute per ounce. For instance, an 8 oz piece of fish will need about 4 minutes on each side (8 minutes total).

Triple Layer Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Icing

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This week my parents came to visit, so I pulled out all the stops! But this wasn’t just to create a more memorable visit, it was mostly to celebrate our little girl’s fifth birthday. We forgot to pick up candles and I meant to put rainbow sprinkles on this, but she assured me that it was “okay”. Thankfully the lack of these items didn’t take away from the flavor and richness of this cake.

This was my first ever homemade icing and it was so easy, thanks to my trusty KitchenAid standing mixer. It is a messy process sifting all those six cups of powdered sugar, but it was worth it. Next time I will be more generous with the frosting between the layers, but I was worried I wouldn’t have enough to frost the “outside”. Once the cake was frosted, I put it in the fridge to set up. Oh, and don’t mind the wax paper – that was meant to keep the cake plate cleaner but I forgot to remove them before the rest in the fridge. Overall, this cake was really worth the effort and not at all difficult. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Double Layer Chocolate Cake – adapted from Smitten Kitchen

** This became a “triple layer” cake because I only have 9″ cake pans**

The recipe below is for 2 10-inch layers filled and coated in chocolate ganache. My adaptations were to split the layers to create a four-layer cake and use raspberry filling instead of chocolate. To do the same, use half the frosting and all of the raspberry filling, recipe at the end.

For cake layers

  • 3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
  • 1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Make cake layers: Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of parchment paper and grease paper.

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well.

Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature

Quick Chocolate Buttercream – adapted from Williams-Sonoma

  • 8 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 6 Tbs. milk, plus more, if needed
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp. salt

Directions –

Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

Put the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler set over but not touching simmering water in the bottom pan. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Let cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the confectioners’ sugar, butter, the 6 Tbs. milk, the vanilla and salt and beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, then reduce the speed to low. Add the chocolate and beat until combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute more.

If the frosting is dry, add more milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks. Makes about 4 1/2 cups.

Hot Fudge Sauce

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Quick Post: The husband requested hot fudge…I obliged:) We used it to top off the already decadent fudge brownie/vanilla ice cream goodness. Make this at your own risk! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Hot Fudge Sauce – adapted from Christina Marsigliese

  • 1/3 cup whipping cream
  • 2 TBSP light corn syrup
  • 2 TBSP sugar
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Directions –

1. In a 2 quart, heavy bottomed sauce pan combine all ingredients – minus the chocolate, over medium low heat. Bring it to a simmer and stir in chocolate until completely melted and smooth. Increase heat to medium and bring mixture to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly until a thick syrup like consistency, about 3-5 minutes. Remove pot from heat and pour into a glass jar or bowl and let cool for about 1 minute. Serve immediately or cool completely, stirring every so often. Seal the lid on the jar or store in an air tight container and keep refrigerated for up to 2 to 3 weeks. Rewarm over a double boiler or place jar in a pot with hot water coming a few inches up the sides of the jar until warmed through, adding a few teaspoons of water to thin it out as needed.